BREWOLOGIST: On snowy day, spring brews get a chilly reception

Jan. 25, 2012

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News Journal

Outside, the temperatures were quickly plummeting below zero and the landscape looked rather like ice planet Hoth from "The Empire Strikes Back."

In my email, a Colorado brewery was announcing its spring seasonal was available now.

That little juxtaposition smacked me in the head. It's the beer world equivalent of the people who shine their Christmas lights in October.

Don't get me wrong. I like a nice, smooth, refreshing spring beer. I just don't want it now. I happen to think seasonal brews are best enjoyed, um, in season.

This time of year, I want something dark and rich and so thick I can chew on it. Give me a stout, or a robust porter, or an intensely flavored barleywine. I want a brew that stands up to the worst winter throws at me, something to imbibe slowly in the evening as I warm up from shoveling tons of snow or stuffing Luke Skywalker into a tauntaun carcass ("And I thought they smelled bad on the outside ...").

I want a winter reward, a cellar-temperature pick-me-up, not a cold brew to wash down a burger. I'll want that a couple of months from now.

Rushing the calendar is the way of the brewing world, though. It's a highly competitive business, and brewers want their product out there before the other guys get theirs on the shelf. Breweries also have production schedules and shipping issues to coordinate. Sometimes, they have to get the spring seasonal on its way to make room in the fermenters and warehouses for the summer ale. It's difficult to choreograph, so I'm not holding grudges.

It keeps beer drinkers on their toes, though. Pumpkin ales say autumn to me, but they show up on store shelves in the dog days of August. Other fall seasonals arrive well before the World Series, too.

I suppose eventually I'll have to start looking for Christmas ales in March.

It's not that big of a deal, really, unless you buy your brews somewhere where the turnover is high and the shelf space is limited. Then, a favored fall classic might arrive and vanish while your mind is still focused on cooling off with a nice snappy hefe-weizen. If that's your situation, keep your eyes open to avoid missing out on something good.

Shelf life could become an issue, too, if beer isn't kept away from the light and at the proper temperature. If it's on the shelves two months before you are ready to buy it, is it still going to be as good? Maybe, maybe not.

One coping mechanism is to brew your own and set your own calendar. I had fresh pumpkin ale in November after buying commercial versions in August and September.

» If you are a Facebook user, you can help Samuel Adams create a new beer.

The brewery is working on a Crowd Craft Project on its Facebook page. Drinkers can tell Samuel Adams what they want as far as hops, malts, color, clarity, aroma -- you name it. The Boston Beer Company says it will take all that information and create a brew to debut in Austin and Boston this March.

You don't have to know a lot of brewing specifics to participate, because all the choices are described in terms of color, taste, body, etc. So if you can't tell two-row barley from Columbus hops, that's OK. You can still get in on the fun.

You also can track what the collective beer psyche creates. As of this writing, a medium-bodied amber ale with toffee notes is popular. I've put in my order for something red, full-bodied and spicy.

Beer drinkers have until Feb. 5 to weigh in.

Steve Goble is a copy editor and a beer snob. You can discuss beer by following him on Twitter at twitter.com/brewologist. Brewologist is also on Facebook.